According to Billboard, iTunes’ share of all US music sales for 2009 was at 26%, up more than 5% from 2008. This gives it an even bigger lead over the number 2 seller, Walmart (iTunes knocked Walmart out of the top spot in 2008). Walmart’s sales are now at 12.5%, down from 15%. Walmart and Best Buy combined don’t add up to iTunes’ share.

One factor in this, obviously, is the shift away from physical formats like CDs. In 2009, all digital sales accounted for 50.7% of music sales (up from 42.5% in 2008). If the other music download companies don’t get a major share of new accounts, Apple will completely dominate the music industry like no one else ever has. In a few more years digital sales will be the sales that matter, and iTunes accounts for more of those than all other companies combined.

Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser, founder of Sennheiser and one of the true pioneers of audio, died Monday at 98 years of age.

Late during the evening of 17 May 2010, only a few days after his 98th birthday, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Fritz Sennheiser, audio pioneer and founder of today’s Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, passed away. The audio industry has lost a huge figure, not only in terms of his technical expertise but also in terms of his humanity.

Through his company Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser had a crucial influence on the development of sound transmission technologies and was instrumental in forging many ground-breaking developments in electroacoustics and transmission technologies. Under his guidance the first shotgun microphones and open headphones were created and he oversaw important developments in wireless radio and infra-red transmission. It was completely natural for Fritz Sennheiser to give his developers the “creative and technical freedom” they required. His humanity also shone through when – considering the significant workload involved in running an expanding company – he took time to share his knowledge with students, inspiring them with an enthusiasm for audio technology. In 1982 he retired from the management of the company, handing over to his son, Prof. Dr. sc. techn. Jörg Sennheiser.

Fritz Sennheiser continued to take a vivid interest in the company he founded in summer 1945. His enthusiasm for audio technology, his creative curiosity, coupled with a modesty that is all too rare these days, his self-discipline, sincerity and generosity in his dealings with people, will remain an example to follow for all those who knew him.

The history of the European audio industry will forever remain inextricably linked with the name of Fritz Sennheiser.

The Sennheiser Group, with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. The family-owned company, which was established in 1945, recorded sales of over €385 million in 2008. Sennheiser employs over 2,100 people worldwide, around 55% of whom are in Germany. Sennheiser has manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA, and is represented worldwide by subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as by long-term trading partners in many other countries. Also part of the Sennheiser Group are Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin (studio microphones) and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications A/S (headsets for PCs, offices and call centres).

You can find all the latest information on Sennheiser by visiting our website at www.sennheiser.com

[via sennheiserusa.com]

Vampire Weekend are on top the world right now. Their sophomore album Contra debuted number 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart (Their self-titled debut peaked at number 17). And now, they bring us a video for “Giving Up The Gun” directed by the Malloys (Jonas Brothers, Weezer, N.E.R.D., White Stripes). The video boasts appearances by RZA, Joe Jonas, Lil Jon, and a drunk Jake Gyllenhaal.

Check out the video below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

—– Original Message —– From: Bill Gates Sent: Wed 4/30/2003 10:46 PM To: Amir Majidimehr; Dave Fester Cc: Will Poole; Christopher Payne; Yusuf Mehdi; David Cole; Hank Vigil Subject: Apple’s Jobs again.., and time to have a great Windows download service… Steve Jobs ability to focus in on a few things that count, get people who get user interface right and market things as revolutionary are amazing things. This time somehow he has applied his talents in getting a better Licensing deal than anyone else has gotten for music. This is very strange to me. The music companies own operations offer a service that is truly unfriendly to the user and has been reviewed that way consistently. Somehow they decide to give Apple the ability to do something pretty good. I remember discussing EMusic and us saying that model was better than subscription because you would know what you are getting. With the subscription who can promise you that the cool new stuff you want (or old stuff) will be there? I am not saying this strangeness means we messed up – at least if we did so did Real and Pressplay and Musicnet and basically everyone else. Now that Jobs has done it we need to move fast to get something where the UI and Rights are as good. I am not sure whether we should do this through one of these JVs or not. I am not sure what the problems are. However I think we need some plan to prove that even though Jobs has us a bit flat footed again we move quick and both match and do stuff better. I’m sure people have a lot of thoughts on this. If the plan is clear no meeting is needed. I want to make sure we are coordinated between Windows DMD, MSN and other groups. …. Original Message …. From: Jim Allchin Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2003 4:58 PM To: Amir Majidimehr; Chris Jones (WINDOWS); Will Poole; David Cole Subject: Apple’s music store 1. How did they get the music companies to go along? 2. We were smoked. jim

Via Groklaw

The 2010 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival takes place June 10-13 in Manchester, Tennessee. Instead of releasing the lineup all at once, the Bonnaroo website and MySpace page are unveiling artists from noon to 9 p.m. Eastern time today.

Already confirmed: Jay-Z, Flaming Lips playing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Phoenix, Weezer, Neon Indian, LCD Soundsystem, Stevie Wonder, Kid Cudi, the Dead Weather, Kings of Leon, Damien Marley and Nas, Chromeo with Daryl Hall, GWAR, and Tokyo Police Club.

Lil Wayne was supposed to start his year-long prison term yesterday after pleading guilty to an attempted weapons possession in 2007. According to MTV News, Wayne’s sentence has been delayed has been delayed to March 2 because of a cracked tooth that requires dental surgery. Pitchfork recalled a Blender article from 2008 that goes into further detail of the rapper’s dental history.

Wayne’s dental troubles are pretty well documented. A Blender cover story from 2008 featured a scene in which Wayne is hit with a righteous toothache in the studio, causing him to freestyle: “I got a toothache/ The size o’ Virginia/ I got a tooothaaache/ And it hurts like a muh-fucka!” The article goes on to describe Wayne’s kitchen thusly: “There is no food in sight besides candy. The counter is crowded with Blow Pops, Sour Patch Kids, Snickers, Milky Ways, Dots, Skittles.” (And that grill can’t make flossing any easier.)

Toothaches or not, Lil Wayne still had enough strength to attend his going away party that was on February 7. Guests included everyone in Young Money, Wale, Trae, Sean Garrett, Chris Johnson and even former Hot Boys co-member B.G.

(photos courtesy of OzoneMag)

Vinyl records have been making a fairly strong comeback lately, with well over 2 million sold in 2009. While that is still less than 1 percent, you have to do more than collect a few records nowadays to be the coolest hipster on the block. Fortunately, Gakken has come to the rescue with their Premium Gramaphone Kit.

A replica of gramophones used in the early 20th century, it supports all record sizes and even lets you record. The gramophone, once assembled, is powered by hand crank, and uses either a bamboo or metal needle – both included.

With The Who set to take one of the biggest stages of their career this weekend during halftime of Super Bowl XLIV, Sirius XM Radio will celebrate the music of Townshend and Daltrey by launching a limited-run station called the Who Channel on Thursday.

Full story on Rolling Stone

25 years after the original, every freakin’ celebrity in the world is getting together to remake “We Are the World” in order to raise money to help with the devastation in Haiti. “We Are the World – 25 for Haiti” will feature more than 75 stars – which, I’m pretty sure, makes this the largest supergroup in the history of the music business (I did absolutely no research to back that up, so feel free to correct me). The production is being led once again by Quincy Jones, and Lionel Richie, who co-wrote the song with Michael Jackson.

The group is even more diverse than the one that made the original – including Barbra Streisand, Kanye West, The Jonas Brothers, and Vince Vaughn. After the video, a couple of quotes from celebrities involved, and a complete list of the people who recorded.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Josh Groban: “I got Kenny Rogers’ original harmony with Paul Simonand I was happy for that. But I don’t know yet who the harmony will be with; it’s to be determined. Then they had me do a riff at the end with some bravado…that was the token classical note of the song (laughs). It’s inspired chaos. We’re all there for the same reason and it’s great to see so many legendary artists sweating it out; doing it until it’s over. Everybody left their ego at the door. To be smack dab in the middle of a sandwich between Weezy and Barbra Streisand was personally a creative experience I don’t think I’ll have the pleasure of having again. It just goes to show the mix and match of people who are here to help. I can only hope this version has the impact of the original.”

Lil Wayne: “I’ve never been involved in anything like this. But coming out I feel blessed and feel like I’ve done something today. And that’s always a good day. When I got here, I was like what am I doing, will I be rapping or what? Then they told me I was doing Bob Dylan’s part and I was like, you guys are real good comedians. But I approached it the best way I knew how. Did I do a better job than Bob Dylan? Hell, no. But after I did his part, it hit me that this was something way more important than I could ever imagine. Before I go, I just want to say I think it’s amazing what’s been done for Haiti but I also think it’s amazing what hasn’t been done for New Orleans. Thank you.”

]]> http://ufonyx.com/2010/02/03/remake-we-are-the-world/feed/ 0 http://ufonyx.com/2010/02/02/oscars-nominate-newman-t-bone-snub-karen-o-jack-white/ http://ufonyx.com/2010/02/02/oscars-nominate-newman-t-bone-snub-karen-o-jack-white/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:38:05 +0000 Eric Cormier http://ufonyx.com/?p=747

The nominations for the 2010 Academy Awards were announced this morning, and in the Best Original Song category, Jack White, Karen O, Paul McCartney, Lykke Li and Linkin Park were… all snubbed. Even though those five artists all appeared on the Best Original Song Oscar shortlist, the Academy voters went in another direction, nominating a pair of Randy Newman songs from the animated The Princess and the Frog, “Take It All” from the musical Nine, “Loin de Paname” from the foreign film Paris 36 and, deservedly, T Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham’s “The Weary Kind,” the theme song from Crazy Heart. However, news of the Best Original Song snubs will likely be overshadowed by the public outcry following The Blind Side’s nomination in the Best Picture category.

(Via Rolling Stone)

Personally, I think the best original song of 2009 was “Stu’s Song”  from The Hangover but hey, comedies are always “snubbed” at the Academy Awards.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Filmaker Spike Jonze has asked for the help of Red Hot Chili Pepper’s bassist Flea and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ guitarist Nick Zinner to work on a song for the soundtrack to Jonze’s new short film, “I’m Here”. Flea and Zinner appear on the song, “There Are Many of Us”. The song features vocals from Aska Matsumiya of the Sads. The 30 minute film is about two L.A.-based robots who fall for each other, and will be released online next month.

Check out the ‘I’m Here’ trailer here.

Steven Tyler’s new manager has sent a letter to Aerosmith’s management threatening legal action if the band makes good on their promise to tour with a new singer, Billboard reports. In the letter, manager Skip Miller asserts that Tyler is synonymous with Aerosmith: “Can you imagine the manager of the Rolling Stones calling for the replacement of Mick Jagger?” Miller writes. “Steven is Aerosmith, along with the others. He’s the guy the public knows. He’s the singer.”

His bandmates, meanwhile, are rumored to have asked vocalists like Billy Idol, Lenny Kravitz (who declined) and Paul Rodgers to fill in for Tyler on the road while the frontman works on “Brand Tyler.”

Full story at Rolling Stone

The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards aired yesterday from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. I personally didn’t catch the program last night, but here are the winners. I assure you they are correct. I looked it up. I guess if you need to look at my list, you didn’t watch it either so stop judging me.

• Record of the Year Award: “Use Somebody,” Kings of Leon
• Album of the Year Award: “Fearless,” Taylor Swift
• Song of the Year Award: “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On it),” Beyonce Knowles
• New Artist Award: Zac Brown Band
• Pop Vocal Album Award: “The E.N.D.”, The Black Eyed Peas
• Female Pop Vocal Performance Award: “Halo,” Beyonce Knowles
• Male Pop Vocal Performance Award: “Make It Mine,” Jason Mraz
• Rock Album Award: “21st Century Breakdown,” Green Day
• Rock Song Award: “Use Somebody,” Kings of Leon
• R&B Album Award: “BLACKsummers’night, “Maxwell
• R&B Song Award: “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” Beyonce Knowles
• Rap Album Award: “Relapse,” Eminem
• Rap Song Award: “Run This Town,” Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West
• Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Award: “Run This Town,” Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West
• Country Album Award: “Fearless,” Taylor Swift
• Female Country Vocal Performance Award: “White Horse,” Taylor Swift
• Male Country Vocal Performance Award: “Sweet Thing,” Keith Urban,
• Latin Pop Album Award: “Sin Frenos,” La Quinta Estacion
• Contemporary Jazz Album Award: “75,” Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Syndicate
• Classical Album Award: “Mahler: Symphony No. 8; Adagio from Symphony No. 10?
• Traditional Gospel Album Award: “Oh Happy Day,” various artists
• Dance Recording Award: “Poker Face,” Lady Gaga
• Electronic Dance Album Award: “The Fame,” Lady Gaga
• Alternative Music Album Award: “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix,” Phoenix
• Best Rock Instrumental Performance Award: “A Day In The Life,” Jeff Beck
• Best Metal Performance Award: “Dissident Aggressor,” Judas Priest
• Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: “Ellipse,” Imogen Heap
• Spoken Word Album Award: “Always Looking Up,” Michael J. Fox
• Comedy Album Award: “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!” Stephen Colbert
• Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media: “Slumdog Millionaire,” Various Artists, A.R. Rahman, producer.
• Traditional World Music Album: “Douga Mansa,” Mamadou Diabate.
• Contemporary World Music Album: “Throw Down Your Heart: Tales From The Acoustic Planet, Vol. 3 – Africa Sessions,” Bela Fleck.
• Reggae Album: “Mind Control – Acoustic,” Stephen Marley.
• Tropical Latin Album: “Ciclos,” Luis Enrique.
• Latin Pop Album: “Sin Frenos,” La Quinta Estacion.
• Latin Rock, Alternative Or Urban Album: “Los De Atras Vienen Conmigo,” Calle 13.
• Regional Mexican Album: “Necesito De Ti,” Vicente Fernandez.
• Tejano Album: “Borders Y Bailes,” Los Texmaniacs.
• Norteno Album: “Tu Noche Con…Los Tigres Del Norte,” Los Tigres Del Norte.
• Banda Album: “Tu Esclavo Y Amo,” Lupillo Rivera.

Check out the complete list of Grammys 2010 winners here

A few days ago, I wrote about Pete Townshend’s interview with Billboard in which he talks about what songs his band, The Who will play at Super Bowl XLIV. It seems that the band, and Townshend in particular, aren’t welcomed by everyone in Miami. A child abuse group has been delivering flyers to residents who live near the Landshark Stadium in Miami trying to prevent Townshend from playing with The Who at the Super Bowl next month. The message reads,

” Townshend is a British citizen who was registered as a sex offender in his home country in 2003, for an offence related to child pornography. He will be at large in Miami on February when he arrives to perform at the Super Bowl with his musical group known as The Who. This is a community notification distributed in the interest of public safety.”

After admitting admitting to using his credit card to access child pornography, Townshend was placed on the Sex Offenders Register. The guitarist claimed it was research for a book and was never charged.

The Who’s halftime show at Super Bowl XLIV on February 7 will go on as scheduled despite the campaign.